Galileo Project

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total cost is to British public funds of the British contribution to Galileo in each year since 1997, broken down by Department.

Stephen Ladyman: The information about the UK's contribution to the programme is not available in the form requested. The total UK contribution to the European Space Agency (ESA) element of the programme since 1997 is €142 million.
	The European Union (EU) and the member states of ESA jointly fund the design and development programme for Galileo on a 50/50 basis. DTI and DfT co-fund the UK element of the ESA subscription.
	UK subscriptions already paid and future commitments to the ESA element of the programme total €142 million, of which DfT is contributing£22.45 million (approximately €31 million).
	Programme subscriptions to ESA are subject to inflationary increases and can vary from predicted profiles. UK contributions to the different phases of the programme are as follows:
	€15.3 million—subscription to the definition phase (1998 prices);
	€95.7 million—original subscription to the development phase (2001 prices);
	€31.0 million—additional contribution for the development phase (2001 prices).
	The EU's contribution to the design and development programme is made from the EC budget and is estimated by the Commission to be €790 million. The United Kingdom makes its contributions to the EC Budget as a whole and not to individual spending programmes within it. There is not therefore a specific United Kingdom contribution to the design and development programme.

University Officer Training Corps

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answers of 16 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1292W, on the University Officer Training Corps, which universities have University Officer Training Corps; what the approved strength is of each; and how many trainees are enrolled at each.

Adam Ingram: Historically, many of the University Officers Training Corps (UOTCs) were affiliated to single universities. With the rise in the number of tertiary education establishments, this has changed. Although many UOTCs are situated in, and take their title from a particular city, they have a substantial footprint covering over 130 universities and colleges. For example, Wales UOTC, based in Cardiff, covers the entire Principality and London UOTC serves 51 tertiary education establishments within the capital and the home counties.
	The locations, respective establishments and current strengths of the UOTCs are as follows:
	
		
			  UOTC locations  Established strengths  Enrolled number of officer cadets (as at 31 March 2007) 
			 Aberdeen 138 242 
			 Belfast 138 191 
			 Birmingham 138 219 
			 Bristol 138 240 
			 Cambridge 190 275 
			 Cardiff 176 292 
			 Dundee 138 300 
			 Edinburgh 138 283 
			 Exeter 138 250 
			 Glasgow 138 197 
			 Leeds 138 280 
			 Liverpool 138 229 
			 London 320 417 
			 Manchester 138 235 
			 Oxford 190 306 
			 Newcastle 138 309 
			 Nottingham 138 240 
			 Sheffield 138 280 
			 Southampton 138 246 
		
	
	The numbers of active members under training is smaller than the enrolled numbers.

Building Schools for the Future Programme: Leicester

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the reasons are for delays in the rebuilding of schools in Leicester under the building schools for the future scheme; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the costs by delays in the building schools for the future projects in Leicester;
	(3)  when he expects work to begin on the rebuilding and refurbishment of  (a) Soar Valley,  (b) Judgemeadow and  (c) Beaumont Leys schools; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what discussions he plans to have with Leicester city council on the Leicester building schools for the future projects;
	(5)  what discussions officials from his Department have had with  (a) Leicester city council and  (b) Centerprise on the decision by Centerprise not to provide computer equipment for schools in Leicester.

Jim Knight: The Leicester city council's building schools for the future (BSF) project is part of the first wave of projects to be procured and as such has led the way in dealing with issues that will assist and inform the approach of BSF projects in later waves. It has become necessary to take time to get right the design of two of the schools, to ensure that this investment delivers value for money and transforms the education of pupils there. In addition, the withdrawal from the supply chain of the preferred bidder's ICT partner, and the subsequent process of appointing a replacement, has required careful management to ensure the authority's ICT specification would still be met by the new provider on the same or better commercial terms.
	Following a delay in signing the contract beyond the date up to which the original bid price was fixed, the preferred bidder requested approximately £700,000 to cover their estimated additional inflation costs. Following negotiations between the council and the preferred bidder, the majority of this will be borne by the preferred bidder.
	Work on the three schools named is expected to start in July 2007.
	While there have been delays on the project, as it is now making good progress, I currently have no plans to have discussions with Leicester city's officials on BSF. My officials and Partnerships for Schools will continue to lead communications with the authority.
	The decision by Centerprise to withdraw from the preferred bidder's supply chain was entirely an issue for those parties, although Partnerships for Schools, on behalf of the Department, has been closely involvedin discussions with regard to this development. Partnerships for Schools continue to assist the council to ensure the best outcome for the authority, its pupils, teaching staff, parents and others.

Class Sizes

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the  (a) teacher to pupil ratio and  (b) classroom assistant to pupil ratio was in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in (A) Peterborough constituency, (B) Peterborough city council area and (C) England in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The following table shows pupil to teacher ratios and pupil to teaching assistant ratios in maintained nursery/primary and secondary schoolsin Peterborough constituency, Peterborough local authority and England, January 1997 to 2007.
	
		
			  Pupil:teacher ratios and pupil:teaching assistant ratios( 1)  in maintained primary and secondary schools in Peterborough constituency, Peterborough local authority and England, January 1997 to 2007( 2) 
			   Peterborough constituency  Peterborough local authority( 3)  England 
			   Primary  Secondary  Primary  Secondary  Primary  Secondary 
			  1997( 3)   
			 Pupil:teacher ratio 23.9 16.5 n/a n/a 23.4 16.7 
			 Pupil:teaching assistant ratio 82.8 112.8 n/a n/a 107.4 388.9 
			
			  1998( 3)   
			 Pupil:teacher ratio 24.4 16.5 n/a n/a 23.7 16.9 
			 Pupil:teaching assistant ratio 69.4 94.9 n/a n/a 100.6 342.4 
			
			  1999   
			 Pupil:teacher ratio 24.3 16.3 24.2 16.7 23.5 17.0 
			 Pupil:teaching assistant ratio 84.0 88.3 27.8 152.2 96.8 294.8 
			
			  2000   
			 Pupil:teacher ratio 23.3 16.6 23.2 17.1 23.3 17.2 
			 Pupil:teaching assistant ratio 55.6 78.1 25.9 114.7 83.7 255.5 
			
			  2001   
			 Pupil:teacher ratio 23.4 16.9 23.0 17.2 22.9 17.1 
			 Pupil:teaching assistant ratio 49.7 71.8 18.9 88.4 67.3 209.0 
			
			  2002   
			 Pupil:teacher ratio 23.3 16.6 22.9 17.3 22.5 16.9 
			 Pupil:teaching assistant ratio 37.7 67.1 27.3 56.8 60.8 167.2 
			
			  2003   
			 Pupil:teacher ratio 23.7 16.6 23.1 17.4 22.6 17.0 
			 Pupil:teaching assistant ratio 32.1 79.2 17.6 53.6 52.2 148.5 
			
			  2004   
			 Pupil:teacher ratio 23.8 16.3 23.2 17.0 22.7 17.0 
			 Pupil:teaching assistant ratio 32.6 63.2 16.7 43.2 47.4 131.2 
			
			  2005   
			 Pupil:teacher ratio 22.8 16.4 22.5 16.9 22.5 16.7 
			 Pupil:teaching assistant ratio 27.7 50.0 14.5 36.5 42.6 110.6 
			
			  2006   
			 Pupil:teacher ratio 22.4 16.3 21.9 16.5 22.0 16.6 
			 Pupil:teaching assistant ratio 25.2 39.6 13.0 33.3 41.6 98.7 
			
			  2007( 2, 4)   
			 Pupil:teacher ratio n/a n/a n/a n/a 21.8 16.5 
			 Pupil:teaching assistant ratio n/a n/a n/a n/a 38.5 91.7 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Teaching assistants include teaching assistants, special needs support staff and minority ethnic pupil support staff. (2) 2007 local authority and parliamentary constituency level data will be available in September 2007. (3) Peterborough became a new authority in 1999 and is therefore not included in the 1997 and 1998 figures. (4) Provisional.  Source: Annual School Census

Education Maintenance Allowance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many education grants were given to 16 to 19 year olds in each of the last five years for which figures are available; what the total cost was of these grants; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 8 May 2007
	 This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Who operate learner support programmes for 16 to 19-year-olds, other than those in higher education. Mark Haysom, the council's Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 25 May 2007:
	I am writing in response to your recent Parliamentary Question that asked;
	"How many education grants were given to 16-19 year olds in each of the last five years for which figures are available; what the total cost was of these grants."
	The following table shows Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) take-up for England during each academic year since the introduction of the allowance. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
	
		
			  Take-up of EMA in each academic year 
			   Take Up 
			 2002/03 123,415 
			 2003/04 124,383 
			 2004/05 297,567 
			 2005/06 430,327 
			 2006/07 to end of April 514,950 
		
	
	Total expenditure is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  EMA Expenditure in each financial year (National Scheme) 
			   EMA student payments costs (£ million) 
			 2002-03 115.2 
			 2003-04 136.3 
			 2004-05 217.3 
			 2005-06 363.1 
			 2006-07(1) 474.9 
			 (1) This figure is provisional 
		
	
	I hope you find this information useful.

Schools: Construction

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research he has commissioned to assess the through life costs of a school built under  (a) Building Schools for the Future and  (b) other capital programmes.

Jim Knight: We would not expect the through-life costs of schools built under different programmes to be significantly different. Those procuring schools should have regard to the recommended building and design standards in our range of Building Bulletins and other publications, including "Finding the Right Solution—a Guide to Options Appraisal". They should also have regard to wider Government procurement and value for money guidance and should apply through-life cost considerations for all procurement as part of their commitment to the Common Minimum Standards Procurement of Works.
	Partnerships for Schools, our delivery partner in Building Schools for the Future, challenges local authorities to achieve best through-life, value for money solutions no matter which procurement approach is used. Where finance is through Private Finance Initiative credits, through-life costs are fixed for the public sector when the contract is signed. We encourage local authorities to use Building Schools for the Future Local Educational Partnerships or acceptable alternative arrangement for all their schools' building procurement.
	Partnerships for Schools is currently collecting life-cycle costs and other information on schools in Building Schools for the Future as part of a benchmarking database to enable comparisons to be made in the future. Further, we have commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers to evaluate the Building Schools for the Future programme. This will include comparisons of cost data with schools where investment is through other programmes.

Special Educational Needs: Teaching Aids

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on alternative formats for educational material for visually impaired and dyslexic children.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department's SEN atrategy 'Removing Barriers to Achievement' sets out our vision for giving children with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities the opportunity to succeed. Provision for children with SEN and disabilities, including support for those with a visual impairment is made by schools and local authorities through the SEN and disability frameworks.
	In particular, part 4 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 requires schools and local authorities to plan to improve access to the curriculum and written materials for disabled pupils over time. In addition,the new disability equality duty introduced by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 requires all public bodies including schools and local authorities to promote disability equality more widely. We also continue to invest significant resources to support the education of children with SEN and disabilities; some £4.5 billion in 2006/07.
	To assist the provision of materials in accessible alternative formats for children with a visual impairment, the Government supported the Copyright (Visually Impaired Persons) Act 2002 which reduces delays in gaining copyright clearance to produce books and other printed materials in formats accessible to visually impaired people. The Department of Trade and Industry is also working on a feasibility study to look at opportunities for publishers to provide education material in accessible formats more quickly and the Department for Education and Skills is involved in the process.

New Businesses: North West Region

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many business start-ups there were in the north-west in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: Value added tax (VAT) registrations and de-registrations are currently the best guide to the pattern of business start-ups and closures. DTI data on the number of VAT registrations, and the start of year stock of VAT registered businesses inthe north-west from 1997 to 2005 are shown in the following table. Data for 2006 will be available autumn 2007.
	
		
			  VAT registrations and start of year VAT stock in the north-west 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Registrations 17,700 17,545 16,875 17,155 16,485 17,385 19,005 18,080 17,500 n/a 
			 Stock 159,055 161,155 163,125 164,645 165,945 166,925 168,095 171,145 173,575 176,805 
			  Source: Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994-2005, Small Business Service, available at: http://www.dtistats.net/smes/vat/index.htm 
		
	
	Although numbers of registrations in the north-west have remained fairly constant, the start of year stock has risen by 11 per cent. over the period.
	VAT registration and de-registration data do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if their turnover falls below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register may not have closed. Only 1.8 million out of4.3 million businesses (42 per cent.) were registered for VAT at the start of 2005.

Royal Ulster Constabulary: Manpower

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prosecutors were employed in the former Royal Ulster Constabulary and Police Service of Northern Ireland central process offices in each of the last seven years.

Paul Goggins: The Police Service of Northern Ireland have advised us that the figures for the number of prosecutors are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of prosecutors 
			 2000 24 
			 2001 24 
			 2002 21 
			 2003 26 
			 2004 24 
			 2005 (1)26 
			 2006 (2)20 
			 2007 (2)17 
			 (1 )Including 6 agency lawyers. (2 )Including 1 agency lawyer.  Note:  The Public Prosecution Service was established in June 2005; the efficiencies generated as a result help explain the decrease in the number of prosecutors since.

Employment: East Lothian

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent steps have been taken to increase employment levels in East Lothian constituency.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 4 June 2007
	 East Lothian has benefited from a number of programmes and initiatives aimed at increasing employment levels and improving employment opportunities for local people. These have included national programmes like the new deal which, since 1998, has helped 1,970 people in East Lothian into work.
	In October 2006 the new deal plus for lone parents pilot was extended to Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders, meaning eligible lone parents in those areas, including people in East Lothian, can access the extra help and support offered through the initiative. The pilot focuses on a package combining access to good affordable childcare and strong financial work incentives. We recently announced that new deal plus for lone parents will be extended to March 2011 in pilot areas.
	Eligible lone parents in East Lothian leaving benefits for full-time employment can also claim an in-work credit of £40 a week, payable for the first 12 months in work and between October 2004 and January 2007 180 lone parents in the East Lothian constituency received the in-work credit.
	In December, our Pathways to Work programme will also be rolled out in Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders, including East Lothian. This will provide an integrated package of employment advice and health and financial support to help people on incapacity benefits move into work.
	The welfare to work measures we have introduced have, since1997, helped to: increase the employment level in East Lothian by 3.3 percentage points; reduce the number of jobseeker's allowance claimants by63 per cent. reduce long term claimant unemployment by 88 per cent. reduce youth claimant unemployment by 47 per cent. and reduce long term youth claimant unemployment by 83 per cent.

Cultural Heritage: Iraq

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of27 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1327W, on cultural heritage: Iraq, what discussions she has had with the  (a) British Museum and  (b) British Library on the contribution made to the protection of sites of Iraqi cultural heritage since 2003; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: Ministers have had a number of meetings with the British Museum and the British Library since 2003. These discussions have touched on many aspects of their work, and this has included their work in Iraq.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  on what date the Home Office was made aware of the numbers provided bythe Metropolitan Police referred to in note 1 of the minutes of the Olympic cost review steering group of 28 November 2005;
	(2)  what figure the Metropolitan Police provided as their further thought on numbers for security, referred to in note 1 of the minutes of the Olympic cost review steering group of 28 November 2005.

Tessa Jowell: The Metropolitan Police Service has advised that the information was sent to the Home Office on 15 December 2005.
	The Metropolitan Police Service provided an initial estimate of £464 million. This included the costs of policing the Olympic Park but excluded the costs incurred by other police forces, those associated with VIP protection and costs of other agencies such as the Olympic Delivery Authority and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games.
	As I announced in my statement to the House of15 March 2007, within the budget for the Games we have allocated a figure of £600 million for wider security. This does not include the Olympic Delivery Authority's spending on security for the Olympic venues.
	Policing costs are kept under continuous review by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department plansto conduct a public consultation on the decision announced on 15 March to allocate an additional£675 million of lottery funding to the London Olympics in 2012.

Tessa Jowell: I will be consulting the Lottery distributing bodies, the devolved administrations and other key stakeholders. I have already discussed the timing and approach with the distributors.
	We intend to give the distributors the highest degree of certainty and the greatest possible time for planning.

European Regional Development Fund

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the transfer of functions will take place in respect of the proposed transfer of European Regional Development Fund administration from Government offices for the English regions to regional development agencies; what will be the role of the Department in managing the new programme; and what arrangements are in place to manage the wind-down and closure of the existing programme.

Yvette Cooper: My Department will be the Managing, Certifying and Audit Authority for 2007 to 2013 European Regional Development Fund programmes in England, although we will delegate most of the day to day Managing Authority functions to the regional development agencies. We are aiming formally to transfer these functions as from 1 October 2007.
	Government offices are managing the closure of the 2000 to 2006 ERDF programmes. Action is well advanced to meet the European Commission's closure deadlines.

Rented Housing

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the impact of trends in buy-to-let properties on  (a) the housing market and  (b) homelessness.

Yvette Cooper: Estimating the precise impact of buy-to-let on the housing market is difficult and there is little evidence available. The buy-to-let market has expanded rapidly in the last 10 years since the creation of dedicated buy-to-let mortgages in 1996, rising from 6 per cent. of the private rented stock in 2000 to almost 35 per cent. in 2006. Despite this increase in buy-to-let, the overall size of the private rented sector has remained relatively stable and has only experienced a slight increase as a proportion of total stock from about 10 per cent. to 12 per cent. There has been an increase in the proportion of private rented sector properties that are buy-to-let.
	Evidence from the English House Conditions Survey shows that between 1996 and 2004 the percentage of 'decent' homes in the PRS has increased by nearly35 per cent. compared to only 18 per cent. in the owner-occupied sector.
	In recent years, due to the increase in supply of private rented properties, rents have not been rising as fast as house prices. This suggests that buy-to-letis unlikely to have had a significant impact on homelessness, which is currently at its lowest level since the early 1980s.

Rented Housing

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of buy-to-let houses in  (a) Luton,  (b) the East of England and  (c) England.

Yvette Cooper: Figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders show that the number of outstanding buy-to-let mortgages in England has increased from around 120,000 in 2000 to around 850,000 in 2006. Despite this large increase, the private rented sector as a whole only increased over this period from about 10 per cent. to12 per cent. of the total housing stock (Source: Communities and Local Government Survey of English Housing).
	Information is not held centrally on the number of buy-to-let properties below the national level.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken working in collaboration with the National Farmers' Union to ensure that those farmers affected by the late payment, partial payment, non-payment and mis-payment of the single farm payment  (a) remain economically viable and  (b) suffer no long-term effect to their business.

Barry Gardiner: The farmers concerned will be best served by the Rural Payments Agency's continued focus on making payments under the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) and, where necessary, adjustments to SPS entitlement values, in the earliest possible time frame. The latest position on these issues was reported in the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State (David Miliband) on15 May 2007,  Official Report, column 29WS.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will compensate farmers who incurred costs through delays in making single farm payments.

Barry Gardiner: As announced by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State (David Miliband) in his statement of 22 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1478, the Rural Payments Agency has been authorised to make interest payments at the London Interbank Offered Rate +1 per cent. on sums due under the 2005 Single Payment Scheme which were outstanding at the end of the EU Regulatory payment window for the scheme on 30 June 2006. Such payments are calculated from 1 July 2006 until the date of payment and are subject to a minimum interest payment level of £50.As at 3 May 2007, such payments have totalled £1,161,299.29.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the determination of single farm payments in 2007.

Barry Gardiner: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State (David Miliband) on15 May 2007,  Official  Report, column 29WS.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Rural Payments Agency's review of claims involving fruit, vegetable and potato single payment scheme authorisations has been completed; when claimants will be notified of their authorisation allocations; if he will publish the results of the review; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The Rural Payments Agency wrote to affected single payment scheme applicants in January to explain the background to its, then recently completed, review of the allocation of fruit and vegetable authorisations and to confirm the outcome in respect of applicants' individual cases.

Animal Welfare: China

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Chinese government on animal welfare issues in China.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State (Trade and Investment) for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. McCartney) on 9 May,  Official Report, column 238W.

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy: Compensation

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of fraud relating to the Over Thirty Months Scheme have been investigated since the scheme began; and how many prosecutions have resulted.

Barry Gardiner: The Over Thirty Month Scheme ceased operation on 22 January 2006 and was succeeded by the Older Cattle Disposal Scheme.
	There have been 318 cases of suspected fraud relating to the Over Thirty Month Scheme investigated by the Department and eight successful prosecutions resulted. To date one case of suspected fraud relating to the Older Cattle Disposal Scheme has been investigated with no prosecution resulting.

Coastal Areas: Access

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to bring forward legislation to improve access to coastal areas.

Barry Gardiner: I refer the hon. Member tothe answer given on 22 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1208W.

Departments: Consultants

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list the outside  (a) agencies and  (b) consultancies which are undertaking work commissioned by his Department; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost is of each commission.

Barry Gardiner: The Department does not hold a central list of what every outside agency and consultancy undertaking work in DEFRA has been or is commissioned to do. Such a list could be provided only at disproportionate cost. I have placed in the House of Commons Library a list held centrally ofthe outside agencies and consultancies paid fees by the core-Department in 2005-06. A similar list for each of DEFRA's executive agencies could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	I refer the hon. Member to the recently published NAO report on 'Central Government's Use of Consultants'. The Department is in the process of ensuring that it meets the recommendations contained therein.

Departments: ICT

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the  (a) originally estimated,  (b) most recently estimated and  (c) outturn cost was of the five largest information technology contracts agreed by his Department with outside suppliers over the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: If I may refer to the answer provided in June 2006, PQ 4875 05/06. The updated figures are as follows:
	 Accenture
	 (a) Original estimated cost—£34.10 million;
	 (b) Recently estimated costs—£68.05 million;
	 (c) Outturn costs—£68.05 million (plus enhancement work to the value of £928,000 in 2005-06 and £2.7 million in 2006-07.)
	Support and maintenance costs are included in the original contract.
	 IBM
	 (a) Original estimated cost— £85 million per year;
	 (b) Recently estimated costs—£97.9 million per year;
	 (c) Outturn costs: 2004-05—£28.26 million; 2005-06—£111.12 million; 2006-07—£147.56 million.
	The estimated costs are based on initial predicted demand for IBM services; the higher outturn costs represent the increased demand for IBM services by projects in delivering DEFRA's strategic objectives. The contract with IBM incorporates sufficient flexibility to allow significant variation in demand, with costs varying directly in proportion.
	 LogicaCMG
	 (a) Original estimated cost—£16.10 million;
	 (b) Recently estimated costs—£18.42 million (total life time cost);
	 (c) Outturn costs—cost of supply was £6.7 million in 2002.
	The balance is for support and maintenance to be paid over the remainder of the contract, which endsin 2014.
	As with the previous answer, smaller local IT contracts will also have been agreed; however, information on these is neither managed nor maintained centrally, and therefore it would incur disproportionate costs to collate. Only by reference to such information would it be possible to determine which are the fourth and fifth largest IT contracts, agreed with outside suppliers, in the Department.

Departments: Internet

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for which Government websites he is responsible; how many visitors each received in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the cost  (a) was of establishing and  (b) has been of maintaining each site.

Barry Gardiner: The costs for maintaining DEFRA's website (www.defra.gov.uk) are estimated to be £243,561 for this financial year.
	Available data on the visitors to websites which are the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, are set outin the table. Costs for establishing and maintaining these sites are not available without incurring disproportionate cost.
	As part of the Transformational Government web rationalisation process, DEFRA is currently reviewing all its websites. Over time, content will be rationalised and where appropriate moved to Directgov and Business Link. A number of the current websites will close.
	
		
			  URL  Number of unique visitors per month (collated July 2006) 
			 www.defra.gov.uk 379,000 
			   
			  Domains operated by core DEFRA  
			 www.airquality.co.uk 20,000 
			 www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/ No data 
			 www.climatechallenge.gov.uk No data 
			 www.dwi.gov.uk/ 23,000 
			 www.eca-water.gov.uk 3,350 
			 www.forwardfarming.org.uk No data 
			 www.gmsciencedebate.org.uk 3,000 
			 www.GVS.gov.uk 1,358 
			 www.lagmsupport.org.uk No data 
			 www.mceu.gov.uk 3,000 
			 www.naei.co.uk No data 
			 www.nationalfallenstock.co.uk No data 
			 www.noisemapping.org No data 
			 www.partnersforwater.org No data 
			 www.pece.co.uk 606 
			 www.sustainable-development.gov.uk 23,000 
			 www.ukmab.org.uk No data 
			 www.uksocialdeprivation.aeat.com No data 
			 www.smokecontrolareas.co.uk No data 
			 www.ukswedensustainability.org No data 
			   
			  DEFRA's Executive agencies  
			 www.bcms.gov.uk (1)53,000 
			 www.cefas.co.uk No data 
			 www.csi.gov.uk No data 
			 www.efishbusiness.co.uk No data 
			 www.gds.gov.uk No data 
			 www.mfa.gov.uk No data 
			 www.pesticides.gov.uk 11,792 
			 www.rpa.gov.uk 17,646 
			 www.svs.gov.uk/ No data 
			 www.vla.gov.uk 12,000 
			 www.vmd.gov.uk 5,000 
			  DEFRA's advisory NDPBs  
			 www.fawc.org.uk 8,647 
			 www.nbu.ac.uk/negtap/ No data 
			 www.rcep.org.uk No data 
			 www.sd-commission.org.uk 10,000 
			 www.seac.gov.uk 1,291 
			 www.vet-residues-committee.gov.uk 5,000 
			 www.vpc.gov.uk No data 
			   
			  DEFRA's Executive NDPBs  
			 www.ccwater.org.uk No data 
			 www.environment-aqency.gov.uk 351,796 
			 www.foodfrombritain.com (1)1,064 
			 www.gla.gov.uk No data 
			 www.kew.org No data 
			 www-plantcultures.org No data 
			 www.nationalforest.org 12,000 
			 www.landshapes.org 12,000 
			 www.seafish.org 32,976 
			 www.jncc.gov.uk 44,000 
			 www.natural-england.org No data 
			 www.countryside.gov.uk 145,000 
			 www.english-nature.org No data 
			 www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk 5,000 
			   
			  DEFRA levy boards  
			 www.potato.org.uk No data 
			 www.hgca.com 9,244 
			 www.mdc.org.uk 90,000 
			 www.mdcdatum.org.uk 10,000 
			 www.mdcfmp.org.uk 8,971 
			 www.schoolmilk.co.uk 1,000 
			 www.mlc.org.uk No data 
			 www.beefyandlamby.co.uk 24,460 
			 www.bmesonline.org.uk No data 
			 www.lookforthemark.co.uk No data 
			 www.bpex.org.uk No data 
			 www.eblex.org.uk No data 
			 www.meatandhealth.com No data 
			 www.meatmatters.com 21,000 
			 www.porkforbutchers.co.uk No data 
			 www.stotfoldpigs.co.uk No data 
			   
			  DEFRA public corporations  
			 www.cgma.gov.uk No data 
			   
			  Other DEFRA NDPBs  
			 www.recyclenow.com 65,573 
			   
			  Other DEFRA sponsored bodies  
			 www.wrap.org.uk 31,951 
			 www.lake-district.gov.uk 50,000 
			 www.northumberland-national-park.org.uk 13,000 
			 www.peakdistrict.gov.uk 13,000 
			 www.yorkshiredales.org.uk 13,330 
			 www.nnfcc.co.uk No data 
			 www.nationalparks.gov.uk 11,000 
			 (1) Unique visitors per week

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the value was of annual private finance initiative payments made by his Department from  (a) capital and  (b) revenue budgets in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: The core-Department is currently involved in one private finance initiative (PFI) project to provide office facilities at Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge. There are also two PFI projects being undertaken by the Environment Agency, one of our sponsored non-departmental public bodies.
	Information about the value of annual PFI payments for the last five years, made by the core Department and the Environment Agency are set out in the following table. All payments were made from revenue budgets.
	
		
			  PFI 
			  Organisation  Project description  Year  Annual private finance initiative payments  (£ million) 
			 Environment Agency Broadland Flood Alleviation Project 2002-03 1.90 
			   2003-04 1.69 
			   2004-05 1.52 
			   2005-06 1.41 
			   2006-07 (1)1.38 
			 Environment Agency Pevensey Bay Sea Defences 2002-03 1.43 
			   2003-04 1.81 
			   2004-05 1.87 
			   2005-06 1.91 
			   2006-07 (1)1.96 
			 DEFRA Office Facilities at Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge 2002-03 — 
			   2003-04 — 
			   2004-05 3.24 
			   2005-06 3.73 
			   2006-07 (1)3.73 
			 (1) Estimate 
		
	
	The Department also provides support in the form of PFI credits to allow local authorities to enter into PFI contracts to provide waste recycling and management facilities. However, payments for these PFI projects are made by the relevant local authorities from their revenue budgets and do not fall within DEFRA's accounting boundary.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what value of annual private finance initiative payments by his Department was classified as  (a) identifiable and  (b) non-identifiable in each of the last five years, broken down by project.

Barry Gardiner: The core-Department is currently involved in one private finance initiative (PFI) project to provide office facilities at Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge. There are also two PFI projects being undertaken by the Environment Agency, one of our sponsored non-departmental public bodies.
	Information about the value of annual PFI payments, in the last five years, made by the core Department and the Environment Agency are set out in the following table.
	All payments made under PFI are identifiable. Prior to a PFI contract being signed the profile of unitary charge payments is agreed between the contractor and the public sector, subject to the operation of the payment mechanism
	
		
			  PFI 
			  Organisation  Project  d escription  Year  Annual  p rivate  f inance  i nitiative  p ayments  (£ million) 
			 Environment Agency Broadland Flood Alleviation Project 2002-03 1.90 
			   2003-04 1.69 
			   2004-05 1.52 
			   2005-06 1.41 
			   2006-07 (1)1.38 
			 Environment Agency Pevensey Bay Sea Defences 2002-03 1.43 
			   2003-04 1.81 
			   2004-05 1.87 
			   2005-06 1.91 
			   2006-07 (1)1.96 
			 DEFRA Office Facilities at Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge 2002-03 — 
			   2003-04 — 
			   2004-05 3.24 
			   2005-06 3.73 
			   2006-07 (1)3.73 
			 (1 )Estimate. 
		
	
	The Department also provides support in the form of PFI credits to allow local authorities to enter into PFI contracts to provide waste recycling and management facilities. However, payments for these PFI projects are made by the relevant local authorities and do not fall within DEFRA's accounting boundary.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what value of annual private finance initiative (PFI) payments were  (a) to repay capital and  (b) expenditure on other parts of each PFI contract in each of the last five years, broken down by project.

Barry Gardiner: The core-Department is engaged in one private finance initiative (PFI) project to provide office facilities at Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge. The Environment Agency, which is a non-departmental body of DEFRA, has let two public/private partnership contracts for flood risk management.
	Information about the total value of annual PFI payments made by the core Department and the Environment Agency in the last five years is set out in the following table. These payments include both the repayment of the capital and expenditure on other parts of the PFI contract. Details of the breakdown of annual PFI payments into different elements is not held centrally and obtaining this information would incur disproportionate costs for the department.
	
		
			  Organisation  Project description  Year  Annual private finance initiative payments  (£ million) 
			 Environment Agency Broadland Flood Alleviation Project 2002-03 1.90 
			   2003-04 1.69 
			   2004-05 1.52 
			   2005-06 1.41 
			   2006-07 (1)1.38 
			 Environment Agency Pevensey Bay Sea Defences 2002-03 1.43 
			   2003-04 1.81 
			   2004-05 1.87 
			   2005-06 1.91 
			   2006-07 (1)1.96 
			 DEFRA Office Facilities at Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge 2002-03 — 
			   2003-04 — 
			   2004-05 3.24 
			   2005-06 3.73 
			   2006-07 (1)3. 73 
			 (1) Estimate 
		
	
	The Department also provides support in the form of PFI credits to allow local authorities to enter into PFI contracts to provide waste recycling and management facilities. However, payments for these PFI projects are made by the relevant local authorities and do not fall within DEFRA's accounting boundary.

Farms

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many working farms ceased production in the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: The June Agricultural Survey does not specifically collect information about the number of farms that have ceased to trade. The following below show the number of registered holdings in England in June 2002 and June 2006, as well as information on the numbers of farmers, partners and directors. These indicate net changes only and therefore reflect gains as well as losses.
	Direct comparison between these two years cannot be made, because of the number of holdings in this period which have registered for administrative purposes.
	
		
			   Total holdings  Farmers full-time  Farmers part-time 
			 2002 187,871 103,782 121,739 
			 2006 200,381 96,698 127,059 
			  Note: Farmers full and part-time includes farmers, partners, directors and spouses (if working on the holding).  Source: June Agricultural Survey

Fisheries: Licensing

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date all  (a) over 10 metre and  (b) under 10 metre fishing licences were issued in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table provides details of the latest dates by which all over 10 metre and10 metre and under fishing vessel licences were issued to licence holders or vessel owners since 1997. Since 1997, fishing licences for 10 metre and under vessels have been issued biennially. Fishing licences for over10 metre vessels were issued annually until 2006 when it was decided to extend the validity period. Starting in March 2007 they are being issued biennially in an effort to reduce burdens on fishermen and administrations.
	In 2002, licences for 10 metre and under vessels were initially issued with a validity of two years, but were replaced in March 2004 with the introduction of the restrictive shellfish licensing scheme.
	
		
			   Under 10 metre  Over 10 metre 
			 1997 — 31 December 1997 
			 1998 30 June 1998 (for two year period) 31 December 1998 
			 1999 — 31 December 1999 
			 2000 30 June 2000 (for two year period) 31 December 2000 
			 2001 — 31 December 2001 
			 2002 30 June 2002 (for two year period initially but later reduced to 21 month period) 31 December 2002 
			 2003 — 31 December 2003 
			 2004 31 March 2004 (for 27 month period) 31 December 2004 
			 2005 — 31 December 2005 
			 2006 30 June 2006 (for two year period) 31 December 2006 (for 15 month period) 
			 2007 — 31 March 2007 (for two year period)

Ivory: Trade

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will support the proposal by Kenya and Mali to introduce a 20-year moratorium on the ivory trade at the forthcoming meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: While I appreciate the reasons given for the proposed 20 year moratorium, I do not agree with the principle. Such a position would be against the tenet of the Convention that decisions are taken on the basis of the best available scientific and trade data available at the time. In practice, no worthwhile purpose would be served, as a moratorium could be reconsidered and reversed at any subsequent Conference of Parties.

Ivory: Trade

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will oppose attempts to allow further trade in elephant ivory at the forthcoming meeting of the convention on international trade in endangered species.

Barry Gardiner: We will consider all the information available to us at the CITES Standing Committee meeting on 2 June. We will only support a decision to allow the one-off sales of stockpiled ivory, previously agreed in 2002, to go ahead if all criteria are fully met. This includes (a) the approval of trading partners, considered to have sufficient legislation and internal controls in place, and (b) the establishment of baseline data on elephant population numbers and poaching levels through the monitoring of illegal killing of elephants (MIKE) programme.
	The UK will not support any further proposals for ivory trade until the impact of the stockpile sales, should they go ahead, has been assessed.

Ivory: Trade

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will urge that Japan's status as a trading partner for ivory stockpiles be rescinded at the Standing Committee meeting of the convention on international trade in endangered species in June; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The CITES Secretariat has carried out several visits to Japan to ascertain its suitability as a recipient of stockpiled ivory to ensure that adequate controls are in place to avoid the ivory being re-exported.
	At the 54th Standing Committee meeting in October 2006, the Secretariat considered that Japan fulfilled the conditions to become a trading partner. However, based on concerns felt by several countries, including the UK, it was agreed that the CITES Secretariat would provide an update on the measures Japan has and is putting in place. This will be reviewed at the55th Committee meeting immediately prior to the Conference of the Parties in June.
	The UK will consider that update carefully, and will only support trading nation status if we are sure that the necessary conditions have and continue to be met.

Ivory: Trade

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans his Department has to support elephant conservation outside the work of the convention on international trade in endangered species.

Barry Gardiner: There is already much good work being done on elephant conservation outside of CITES and I fully support this. In particular, the UK Government are key contributors to the work of the IUCN (World Conservation Union) African Elephant Specialist Group. Attention often focuses on the ivory trade issue, which CITES is responsible for monitoring. However, there are broader issues that also need to be taken forward at a continent-wide level to address the range of threats to elephants; including habitat fragmentation and human/elephant conflict in Africa and Asia. The UK continues to take an interest in how the range states tackle these issues.

Nature Conservation: Trade

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will fund a workshop on the internet trade in convention on international trade in endangered species specimens in the event that the proposal on internet trade is agreed at the forthcoming convention on international trade in endangered species meeting in June.

Barry Gardiner: The UK was instrumental in tabling the proposal for a CITES workshop on the internet trade in endangered species. This and other work programme proposals will be considered at the June Conference of Parties, along with funding issues. A costed work programme has been tabled by the CITES Secretariat that will establish how individual projects should be funded. Until the outcome of those discussions are known, parties, including the UK, are not in a position to say which elements of any programme they will support and how. Nevertheless, the UK, having put forward the proposal for the internet workshop, will do what it can to ensure that this takes place.

Nature Conservation: Trade

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will seek to amend the proposal on livelihoods at the forthcoming meeting of the convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES) in June to reflect more closely the positive impact that CITES enforcement has on livelihoods.

Barry Gardiner: We are not currently seeking to amend this proposal. However, if, during the meeting, it becomes clear that the proposal can be improved, made more accurate or clear about the role and impact of CITES trade on livelihoods, then we will look to participate constructively in any discussions.

Pest Control

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evidence his Department has obtained from other countries on the long distance transport of diabrotica virgifera into new geographical areas.

Barry Gardiner: "Diabrotica virgifera" is native to North America. The pest was first found in Serbia in 1992, and has since spread both within Eastern Europe and the EU. A scientific paper by researchers in France, 'Multiple transatlantic introductions of the western corn rootworm',(1) was published in 2005. This suggested that there have been at least three separate introductions of "D. virgifera" from North America.
	(1) Reference: Miller, N., Estoup, A., Toepfer, S., Bourget, D., Lapchin, L, Derridj, S., Kirn, K.S., Reynaud, P., Furlan, L. and Guillemaud, T. (2005). Science. 310:992.).

Pest Control

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether his Department has carried out an investigation into the origins of the two wild populations of diabrotica virgifera found in the wild in south east England;
	(2)  whether his Department has carried out DNA profiling of the two populations of diabrotica virgifera found in the wild in south east England in order to assist with investigations about their origins.

Barry Gardiner: Investigations into the origins ofthe populations of "diabrotica virgifera" found in the south-east of England are very difficult because the means by which "D. virgifera" was introduced are unclear. There is circumstantial evidence to suggest that "D. virgifera" is spread by aircraft. However, to date no studies have been carried out on the presence of potentially invasive insects on aircraft.
	A study is currently being conducted to investigate whether the populations of "D. virgifera" found in south east England are related to populations of "D. virgifera" in eastern Europe and the USA. The results are due to be published later this year. However, these types of studies cannot specifically pinpoint the origin of an introduced species, and at best the results will demonstrate whether the populations of "D. virgifera" in south east England are more likely to be related to those from eastern Europe, the USA or both.

Carers: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much carer's grant was allocated to Warrington borough council in each year since it was introduced; and how much of the grant was spent on services for carers.

Ivan Lewis: The grant allocations paid to Warrington borough council as their share of the carers grant since 1999 are in the table.
	
		
			  Carers grant Warrington 1999-2007 
			   £ million 
			 1999-2000 0.65 
			 2000-01 0.157 
			 2001-02 0.218 
			 2002-03 0.264 
			 2003-04 0.335 
			 2004-05 0.418 
			 2005-06 0.619 
			 2006-07 0.605 
			 2007-08 0.603 
		
	
	The grant is no longer ringfenced and the Department does not collect data about how much each council spends supporting carers. However, councils do have a duty to support carers and they should be taking their needs into account when planning and commissioning all services.

Cost Shunting

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne of 24 April 2007,  Official Report, column 777, on cost shunting, whether she plans to discuss the opportunities afforded by local government reform with her Cabinet colleagues in  (a) the Department for Communities and Local Government,  (b) the Cabinet Office and  (c) other departments.

Rosie Winterton: The Department, like all Government Departments with an interest in local government issues, will continue to work together to develop and implement the vision for local government set out in the White Paper "Strong and Prosperous Communities" that was published on 26 October 2006. The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill proposes to implement much of the White Paper. The Bill will enhance local leadership on health and well-being and make it easier for local authorities and national health service bodies to work together in delivering integrated health and social care services to citizens.

Dental Services

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population in  (a) England and  (b) Milton Keynes has attended a dental surgery in the last two years.

Rosie Winterton: Information on numbers of patients who have received care or treatment from a national health service dentist in the last two years and the percentage of the population this represents is published regularly. The latest available information is for the two years ending 31 December 2006.This information is contained in section F2 of annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England Q3:31 December 2006 report which is available in the Library.
	This report, published by The Information Centre for health and social care, is also available on line at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-statistics-for-england-q3:-31-december-2006

Dental Services: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much NHS funding went to providing dentistry provision in Shrewsbury and Telford constituencies in  (a) 2004,  (b) 2005 and  (c) 2006.

Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts (PCTs) assumed full responsibility for local commissioning of primary care dentistry and received devolved budgets with effect from 1 April 2006. A table listing the primary dental service resource allocations for 2006-07 for all PCTs in England as at 31 July 2006 is available in the Library. PCTs determine the distribution of resources within their areas. A breakdown of the primary dental service resource allocations by constituency areas is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Full year data on expenditure by PCTs on primary dental care in 2006-07 are not yet available.
	Prior to April 2006, most primary dental services were provided under former general dental service (GDS) arrangements. These were demand-led services where the pattern of dental expenditure was largely determined by where dentists chose to practice, and how much national health service work they chose to undertake. PCTs were not given fixed GDS funding allocations. In a number of areas, personal dental service (PDS) pilots were also established, where some former GDS dental practices and some directly managed dental services converted to locally commissioned arrangements to test new ways of working and new forms of contract remuneration. PDS pilots were funded by PCTs from supplementary allocations issued by the Department.
	The following table shows the available data on expenditure on the former GDS and PDS services for the constituencies of Shrewsbury and Atcham and Telford for 2004-05 and 2005-06. The difference between gross and net expenditure is the contribution to costs from dental charges collected directly from patients.
	
		
			  Core GDS and PDS dental payments within Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency and Telford  constituency,  2004-05 and 2005-06( 1,)( )( 2,)( )( 3,)( )( 4,)( )( 5) 
			  £ million 
			   2004-05  2005-06 
			  Shrewsbury and Atcham   
			 Gross GDS 2.802 1.791 
			 Net GDS 2.047 1.415 
			 Gross PDS 0.412 2.430 
			 Net PDS 0.338 1.983 
			 Gross GDS and PDS 3.214 4.221 
			 Net GDS and PDS 2.386 3.398 
			
			  Telford   
			 Gross GDS 2.429 1.068 
			 Net GDS 1.913 1.050 
			 Gross PDS 0.976 3.292 
			 Net PDS 0.833 2.696 
			 Gross GDS and PDS 3.406 4.361 
			 Net GDS and PDS 2.746 3.746 
			 (1) Gross GDS payments include adult fees (including item of service and continuing care payments), child fees (including item of service and capitation payments), commitment payments, seniority payments, maternity/paternity/adoptive leave payments, long term sick leave payments, continuing professional development allowances including travel hours, reimbursement of business rates, vocational training grants and clinical audit payments. The following costs are excluded from this data: employer's superannuation costs, vocational trainee salaries and NI contribution costs, clinical audit convenors, clinical audit secretarial support costs and travel expenses, and costs associated with any salaried general dental practitioners and emergency dental services. (2) PDS payment data relate to baseline payments or the agreed regular monthly payments made to PDS practices. The data cannot identify the cost of any PDS services that are directly managed by local NHS trusts, such as certain dental access centres. (3) In the immediate aftermath of dental practices converting from GDS to PDS pilots, there can be a period of overlapping expenditure as time lags in submitting GDS treatment claims can mean that clearance of GDS arrears coincides with the start of regular PDS payments. (4) Payments to dental practices are assigned to areas on the basis of practice postcode data. The practices themselves may draw patients from a wider catchment area. (5) Net payments represent the balance of payments due after taking account of NHS dental charge income collected from patients by dental practices.  Source: NHS Information Centre

Dental Services: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists are working in Shrewsbury and Atcham; and how many there were in 2006.

Rosie Winterton: The numbers of national health service dentists in Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency from 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2006 are available in annex G of the 'NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006'. Information is based on the old contractual arrangements. The report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006.
	Information on the dental work force under the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006, is published every quarter by The Information Centre for health and social care.
	These data are not comparable with the historical data prior to this date.
	The latest data available are in annex G (number of dentists), within Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England Quarter 3: 31 December 2006 report. Data are only available at SHA and PCT level. To provide these data at constituency level area would be at disproportionate cost. The report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	http://www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/dental06q3/Quarterly%20Publication%20Q3%202006-7%20Annex%203.xls

Departments: Telephone Services

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many telephone helplines are sponsored by her Department with the prefix  (a) 0870 and  (b) 0845; and whether alternative geographic numbers are available in each case.

Ivan Lewis: The Department's main public facing telephone inquiry service, the Customer Service Centre, has a geographic number (020 7210 4850). The Department also uses a Government wide switchboard service (020 27210 3000). There are individual switchboard services for the Department's main buildings and these have geographic telephone numbers.
	The Department's Executive Agencies, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Service (MHRA) and the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA) also have geographic numbers.
	The Department has a Healthy Start (formerly known as the Welfare Foods Helpline), a service operated under contract to provide assistance to nurseries and individuals with inquiries about welfare foods e.g. milk tokens. The numbers for members of the public are 0845 6076833/6076823. The number for commercial providers are 08707 203063/201688. These will be reviewed as part of the contract review in 2008.
	NHS Direct uses a 0845 number 0845 4647. There is no geographic alternative.
	The Department grant funds a wide range of voluntary and charitable organisations to provide services relating to health and healthy living. Some of these organisations include telephone helplines as part of their services. It is not possible, without incurring disproportionate cost, to identify individual projects with telephones services and whether geographic telephone numbers are used.

Diabetes: Screening

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people with diabetes who are unable to leave their home unaided have  (a) been offered screening for diabetic retinopathy and  (b) registered on a national screening programme;
	(2)  how many people with diabetes registered in a national screening programme for diabetic retinopathy are being screened annually;
	(3)  how many people with diabetes offered screening for diabetic retinopathy  (a) registered in national screening programmes and  (b) participated in a national screening programme in each year since 2003-04.

Rosie Winterton: The data are not held centrally on how many people with diabetes who are unable to leave their home unaided have been offered screening for diabetic retinopathy.
	The information in the tables show the number of people with diabetes offered screening for diabetic retinopathy and the number of people receiving screening broken down by year.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   Number of people with diabetes offered screening for diabetic retinopathy 
			 2003-04 835,900 
			 2004-05 1,076,400 
			 2005-06 1,478,223 
			 2006-07 1,593,644 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 
			   Number of people with diabetes receiving screening for diabetic retinopathy( 1) 
			 2003-04 (2)753,997 
			 2004-05 1,076,388 
			 2005-06 1,232,043 
			 2006-07 1,256,463 
			 (1) Data from Local Delivery Plans returns (2) Data for year 2003-04 was an incomplete return

Eating Disorders: Children

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children between the ages of 10 and 18 years were treated for  (a) bulimia and  (b) anorexia in each of the last 10 years.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not collected in the format requested. Information is available from 1996-97 onwards about the number of finished consultant episodes where the primary diagnosis was anorexia or bulimia.
	We take the issue of eating disorders, especially among young people, very seriously. This why the Department asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to produce a clinical guideline on the core interventions in the treatment and management of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and related eating disorders, and which NICE published in 2004. The guideline covers physical and psychological treatments, treatment with medicines, and information specifically for patients, carers and the general public. The guideline is due for review in January 2008.
	Count of finished consultant episodes where there was a primary diagnosis of anorexia or bulimia; 1996-97 to 2005-06.
	
		
			  NHS Hospitals, England 
			   Anorexia  Bulimia 
			 2005-06 620 23 
			 2004-05 517 23 
			 2003-04 532 22 
			 2002-03 552 32 
			 2001-02 497 26 
			 2000-01 469 19 
			 1999-2000 482 28 
			 1998-99 465 24 
			 1997-98 484 46 
			 1996-97 419 49 
			  Notes: A finished consultant episode is a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Please note that the figures represent the number of treatment episodes provided, but do not represent the individual number of patients seen, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.

Eating Disorders: Children

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many  (a) hospitals,  (b) clinics,  (c) health centres and  (d) other care providers within the NHS specialise in the treatment of children suffering from eating disorders;
	(2)  how many cases of children being admitted to hospital for illnesses or conditions relating to eating disorders were as a result of intervention from  (a) a teacher,  (b) a parent and  (c) a health worker in each of the last 10 years.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	We take the issue of eating disorders, especially among young people, very seriously. This is why the Department asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to produce a clinical guideline on the core interventions in the treatment and management of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and related eating disorders, and which NICE published in 2004. The guideline covers physical and psychological treatments, treatment with medicines, and information specifically for patients, carers and the public. The guideline is due for review in January 2008.
	In the five years to the end of March 2007, we have invested over £400 million of additional money into the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) provided by the national health service and local authorities. These funds have assisted in meeting and then maintaining the Department's public service agreement standard of a comprehensive CAMHS, including services for young people with an eating disorder. Further funds totalling over £100 million have been made available to the NHS and local authorities in 2007-08 to help maintain this progress.
	As primary care trusts (PCTs) consider local health needs and commissioned services, they will need to assess whether the right balance exists between in-patient care and home-based care, particularly at a highly specialised levels, to help individuals with eating disorders. This means that PCTs will need to consider their commissioning role, where they work with local organisations and opportunities exist to commission services jointly, for example, where voluntary organisations can provide services more effectively than statutory services.
	Between 2004 and 2009, the Department is also funding a five-year initiative, Shift, to tackle the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health issues in England. Shift works with young people and professionals to promote awareness of all mental health problems, including eating disorders.
	The Department funds several voluntary sector organisations involved with eating disorders, including Weight Concern and Beat, formerly the Eating Disorder Association, for whom we are funding a three-year pathways to recovery project, which provides a support network of people who have had eating disorders.

Eyesight: Testing

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether children in full time education being educated at home have the same rights to  (a) free NHS sight tests and  (b) vouchers to cover other costs of ophthalmology as children in full-time education being educated in institutions; what guidance she has issued to (i) opticians and (ii) local authorities to reflect these entitlements; and what evidence must be accepted as proof of a child being in full-time education at home.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 4 June 2007
	All children under the age of 16 are entitled to national health service sight tests and vouchers for optical appliances, as are children aged 16, 17 and 18 who are being educated full-time in a recognised educational establishment. The Department has not previously issued specific guidance on this subject. Where children aged 16 to 18 are being educated at home, the local primary care trust would need to seek advice from the local education authority to assess whether these arrangements are comparable to fulltime education in such an establishment.

General Practitioners

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has to renegotiate the contract for the delivery of general medical service agreed in June 2003.

Andy Burnham: The general medical services (and other primary medical care) contract is kept under constant review and is subject to ongoing discussions between NHS Employers and the British Medical Association's General Practitioners Committee.

Health Professions: Insurance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to consult on her proposals to amend legislation to ensure that all practising health care professionals have compulsory indemnity cover.

Rosie Winterton: The Department's review 'The regulation of non-medical healthcare professions' made reference to the fact that professional indemnity cover is becoming a condition of registration for all health care professions. The introduction of compulsory professional indemnity cover for a specific profession will require secondary legislation. A three-month public consultation will form part of any such legislative process. No timetable for this has yet been set.

Health Services: Discrimination

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to tackle age discrimination in the provision of health services; what targets she has set for this work; and what progress has been made towards such targets.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 4 June 2007
	 Action to tackle age discrimination in access to health and social care has been a central aspect of the national service framework (NSF) for older people. The NSF for older people recognised that age discrimination in access to health and social care exists. It made the clear statement that age discrimination would not be tolerated and set out the developing actions to address this.
	The Healthcare Commission report, "Living Well in Later Life", published in March 2006, found that explicit age discrimination had declined since the NSF was published, as a result of national health service trusts auditing policies on access to services and social services departments reviewing their eligibility criteria for social care services. In the first phase of the NSF for older people, there was a significant improvement in access to services, including over 100 per cent. rise in breast screening of the over-65s, increased hip replacements and cataract operations.
	In April 2006 the National Director for Older People, Professor Ian Philp, published the second phase of the NSF, "A New Ambition for Old Age", encouraging the involvement of older people in service planning and also focusing on improving the integration of services and the promotion of healthy ageing. The report recognised that huge strides have been made in improving the health of older people. Death rates for heart disease, stroke and cancer among older people are down. Discrimination in treatment is now less likely. For example, heart surgery in the over 75s has risen from 2 per cent. to 10 per cent.
	On 27 January 2007, Ian Philp launched "A Recipe for Care—Not a Single Ingredient". This report sets out the challenge ahead in looking after older people and why services need to change to ensure older people get the best possible care.
	Departmental policy and guidance requires the assessment and provision of services to be undertaken based on need. We expect services to promote independence, choice, control as well as safety. We make it clear that all staff should treat older people with dignity and respect, whether it is in a hospital, care home or their own home.
	The Government are currently developing the Discrimination Law Review Green Paper, which will seek to address age discrimination in all public services.

Health Services: Private Sector

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what monitoring her Department has undertaken of the sale to Clinical Excellence of the five year licence granted to Nations Ltd. to build an independent sector treatment centre; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The Department cannot comment on negotiations between independent commercial entities.
	The Department has procedures in place to safeguard services, quality and patient safety if an independent sector provider is subject to change of control. All contractual terms still apply.
	The level of Departmental involvement depends on the specific contract. In general, for wave one contracts, any change of control requires Departmental consent only when there is a change in performance or termination security guarantee.
	For the independent sector extended choice network and phase two contracts, approval is required for any change of control.
	In addition, the Department provides guidance to providers setting what information we require and the standards we expect from providers including clinical governance, management and staffing and service continuity.

Health Services: Young Offenders

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether a national service framework is in place to guide the management and treatment of young, violent or sex offenders; and how many secure accommodation places for the management and treatment of young, violent or sex offenders there were in each year from 2000 to 2006.

Rosie Winterton: There is no national service framework (NSF) in place specifically to guidethe management of young violent or young sex offenders.
	The Department issued "Promoting Mental Health for Children held in Secure Settings—A Framework for Commissioning Services" in March. The document is a strategic framework, targeted at commissioners and service providers, in order to ensure that children in secure settings have access to comprehensive child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
	The Department will support the framework with investment of £1.5 million this year. This will aid the implementation of tier three CAMHS within the HM Prison Service young persons' estate.
	Other relevant national policies and frameworks in place include the NSF for children, the NSF for mental health, and elements of the "Every child matters: change for children" programme. These should all be applied to children held in secure settings as they are for children in the wider community.
	The Department and the Ministry of Justice are jointly developing a national policy framework for the development of services for young people who have sexually abused. The framework will aim to use existing resources in a more coherent and consistent manner, as well as bring together the information on best practice and effective treatment interventions.
	Children and young people held in secure settings are treated according to their individual health needs, which can be complex and consist of more than one diagnosis. Placements are not broken down by offence. Information on the numbers of places for the management and treatment of young violent and/or young sex offenders across all types of secure settings is therefore not available. Referrals to mental health in-reach services or for other specialist services should be made on the basis of individual need, and the arrangements for providing these services will vary from establishment to establishment.

Hospitals: Fees and Charges

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps she has taken to reduce the cost of  (a) telephone,  (b) television and  (c) car park services in hospitals for patients requiring long term care;
	(2)  what the average price of the use of  (a) the telephone and  (b) televisions for patients in hospitals in the north-east was in each of the last 10 years.

Andy Burnham: Each provider of the bedside telephone and television service set their own charges subject to the limited concession requirements set by the Department. The Department is not in a position to dictate ongoing price policies of private companies who take sole financial liability for their operations.
	Following the conclusion of an Office of Communications (Ofcom) investigation, in January 2006, the Department set up a review group to explore how the bedside services could be provided without charging as high a price for the incoming calls. The review group concluded that there was no easy quick fix solution to this issue.
	The fixed price of the outgoing call cost up to April 2007 was 10p per minute (minimum 20p).
	The incoming call charges have remained constant for two of the service providers at 39p per minute off peak and 49p per minute peak. Charges per minute for the third service provider were; 14p in 2002, 17p in 2003, 20p in 2004 and it currently charges 35p.
	The average charge for use of the television since 2001 is £3.50 for two of the service providers and £3.00 for the third, for a 24-hour period. Some of the service providers offer a reduced rate television service for long stay patients.
	The largest provider of the systems recently reconfigured its charging structure, which resulted in increasing its outgoing call charge to 26 per minute (minimum 40p) and reducing its television package to £2.90 for a 24-hour period.
	It is for individual national health service bodies to set the level of charges for car parking provided on their premises, taking into account local circumstances. The Department of Health has issued guidance which recommends considering concessions for certain types of patient, but final decisions lie with the NHS body.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the spending per head of population is on mental health in each local health district in 2007-08; how much was spent in each of the last five years; and what indices are used to guide future spending plans.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 4 June 2007
	Information about the spending per head of population on mental health in each local district in 2007-08 is not available. Details of total planned investment, and of overall investment per head, in each strategic health authority (SHA) from 2003-04 to 2005-06 is shown in the tables. Data is not available prior to 2003-04, and data for 2006-07 has not yet been published.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs), together with their SHAs and other local stakeholders, should determine their future spending plans from their own allocated funds when commissioning services to meet the mental heath and other healthcare needs of their local populations. Funding allocations for mental health are included in the needs element of the weighted-capitation formula, the needs adjustment part of which was examined in a major review of the formula prior to the 2003-04 to 2005-06 revenue allocations to PCTs.
	The review was overseen by the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation, and the results were published in the Allocation of Resources to English Areas report. A copy of the report is available in the Library.
	
		
			  Table  1 : SHA total planned investment and investment per head of weighted working age adult population in England 2005-06 
			  SHA  Total investment (£000)  Overall investment per head (£) 
			 North Central London 234,380 207 
			 South East London 260,590 204 
			 South West London 166,496 185 
			 North West London 275,728 174 
			 Surrey and Sussex 212,414 173 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 192,256 168 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 184,947 166 
			 Dorset and Somerset 93,656 164 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 155,116 157 
			 Essex 134,130 155 
			 South West Peninsula 126,243 154 
			 West Yorkshire 224,289 154 
			 North East London 231,272 152 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 134,663 149 
			 West Midlands South 129,479 146 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 147,234 145 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 132,985 145 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 177,823 144 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 241,707 142 
			 Birmingham and The Black Country 252,558 141 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 113,848 139 
			 North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire 123,498 136 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 117,419 135 
			 South Yorkshire 118,112 134 
			 Thames Valley 156,705 134 
			 Trent 199,112 130 
			 Greater Manchester 252,233 128 
			 Kent and Medway 114,884 128 
			 Total investment and average investment per head 4,903,776 153 
			  Source:  Mental Health Strategies, 2005-06 National Survey of Investment in Mental Health Services 
		
	
	
		
			  Table  2 : SHA total planned investment and investment per head of weighted working age adult population in England 2004-05 
			  SHA  Total investment (£000)  Overall investment per head (£) 
			 North Central London 213,890 189 
			 South East London 237,073 186 
			 North West London 279,702 176 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 186,763 163 
			 South West London 145,856 162 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 169,551 152 
			 Surrey and Sussex 182,701 149 
			 Dorset and Somerset 83,813 147 
			 West Yorkshire 210,400 144 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 129,099 143 
			 Essex 121,542 140 
			 South West Peninsula 114,254 140 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 127,362 139 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 168,747 137 
			 West Midlands South 120,924 137 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 125,132 136 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 131,681 130 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 248,920 130 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 111,052 127 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 103,908 127 
			 North East London 193,999 127 
			 Trent 192,412 126 
			 Thames Valley 142,925 122 
			 Greater Manchester 213,158 122 
			 South Yorkshire 105,328 120 
			 Birmingham and The Black Country 212,163 119 
			 North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire 103,499 114 
			 Kent and Medway 98,006 109 
			 Total investment and average investment per head 4,473,860 140 
			  Source: Mental Health Strategies, 2004-05 National Survey of Investment in Mental Health Services 
		
	
	
		
			  Table  3 : SHA total planned investment and investment per head of weighted working age adult population in England 2003-04 
			  SHA  Total investment (£000)  Overall investment per head (£) 
			 South East London 217,402 170 
			 North West London 245,403 155 
			 South West London 138,815 154 
			 North Central London 170,792 151 
			 Essex 125,046 144 
			 Surrey and Sussex 178,506 140 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 152,490 133 
			 South West Peninsula 107,813 132 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 142,268 127 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 114J58 127 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 115,988 126 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 124,717 123 
			 West Midlands South 108,531 123 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 113,134 120 
			 Somerset and Dorset 68,195 119 
			 Thames Valley 139,097 119 
			 West Yorkshire 170,642 117 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 141,391 115 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 94,026 108 
			 Birmingham and The Black Country 192,721 108 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 87,130 107 
			 Kent and Medway 94,945 106 
			 Greater Manchester 185,402 106 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 203,623 106 
			 North East London 154,353 101 
			 South Yorkshire 87,210 99 
			 North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire 88,348 98 
			 Trent 147,746 97 
			 Total investment and average investment per head 3,910,506 122 
			  Source:  Mental Health Strategies, 2003-04 National Survey of Investment in Mental Health Services

Mentally Ill: Cannabis

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital admissions on mental health grounds resulting from the use of cannabis there were in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: This information is shown in the table and it corrects data about mental health-related hospital admissions resulting from cannabis use, given to the hon. Member in the written answer on 30 January 2006,  Official Report, column 176W. I have written to the hon. Member to explain the earlier error.
	
		
			  Finished admission episodes in the national health service in England 1996-97 to 2005-06, for patients with a primary diagnosis of a mental or behavioural disorder due to the use of cannabis: combined male and female; all ages; all strategic health authorities 
			   Cannabis 
			 1996-97 510 
			 1997-98 506 
			 1998-99 625 
			 1999-2000 600 
			 2000-01 581 
			 2001-02 674 
			 2002-03 704 
			 2003-04 890 
			 2004-05 869 
			 2005-06 946 
			  Note: A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. The primary diagnosis is the main reason why the patient was in hospital. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. The data refer to all patients with a primary diagnosis of a mental or behavioural disorder due to cannabis use and whose care was led by a consultant registered under any speciality.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care.

Mothers: Home Help

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress her Department has made with providing nursing support to mothers of children under the age of two years as referred to in the report of the Spending Review 2004.

Ivan Lewis: Support from midwives, health visitors and other health professionals is provided to families through the Child Health Promotion Programme, the universal child health service aimed at preventing ill health and promoting health and well being. The core service is set out in standard one of the national service framework for children, young people and maternity services. However, all families are different and some need more support than others do. Health visitors and their teams who deliver the child health promotion programme will make sure that the most at risk children have more support.
	We are also testing an intensive nurse-led home visiting programme for the most at risk families. The Nurse Family Partnership Programme has been developed over 30 years in the United States where it has achieved impressive reductions in accidental and non-accidental injuries. We are testing this approach in 10 sites across England where specially trained health visitors and midwives are delivering the programme to first time young parents.

Nurses: Students

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the availability, subject to a means test, of grants for nursing students studying for  (a) a diploma course or  (b) a degree; and what comparison she has made of the difference in sums available.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 4 June 2007
	From 1 September 2006, diploma students who are entitled to a non-means tested bursary can receive a basic award up to £7,030 a year. Degree students who are entitled to a means tested bursary can receive a basic award up to £4,378 (based on a 45-week course) and they are also eligible to apply for a Department for Education and Skills student loan. From 1 September 2007, diploma students can receive a basic award of up to £7,443 and degree students (based on a 45-week course) can receive up to £4,715. The total amount of both the non-means tested and means tested bursaries can increase with additional allowances subject to individual circumstances. The provisions of national health service bursary scheme are under consideration with stakeholders as part of the modernisation process.

Patients Forums

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice her Department has given to foundation trusts on the involvement of patient groups in trust board meetings; what representations she has had from patient groups on exclusion from trust board meetings; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The Department has issued guidance on developing and implementing governance arrangements in national health service foundation trusts which is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance.
	The legislative framework for foundation trusts gives them significant scope to tailor their governance arrangements to reflect their different status, the services they provide and the profile of their communities.
	While some representations have been made by organisations, including those representing patient groups, on the operation of board of director meetings in foundation trusts, the National Health Service Act 2006 only allows for a foundation trusts to open meetings of the board of governors to the public. There is no equivalent provision for meetings of the board of directors. This would be a matter for each trust. Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) has however issued a code of governance for foundation trusts which advises directors to follow a policy of openness and transparency in its proceedings and decision making unless this conflicts with a need to protect the wider interests of the public or the foundation trusts, including commercial-in-confidence matters.

Prisons: Drugs

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 March 2007,  Official Report, column 552W, on prisons: drugs, whether the funding announced for the Integrated Drug Treatment System will be ring-fenced.

Caroline Flint: The investment allocated by the Department for the integrated drug treatment system (IDTS) is not ring-fenced.
	The allocation contains specific amounts targeted to those primary care trusts which contain prisons implementing IDTS.

Race Equality

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) cost and  (b) content was of the training modules on race equality and cultural capability to which she refers in paragraph 5.268 of her Department's 2006 annual report; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The training packs on race equality and cultural capability were piloted within the national health service from August 2006 to April 2007. 65 practitioners, two administration staff, a number of service users and carers across four NHS trusts were involved in the pilot. The packs are currently being evaluated to determine how they will help people working predominantly in the NHS and social care towards the 12 service characteristics dealing with the challenges that are outlined in Delivering Race Equality (DRE). The evaluation will report in June 2007. The cost of the training is £240,000, which covers work to ensure the packs independent development, testing, trialling and evaluation.
	Once the evaluation is complete, the Department plans to start full training with the training modules. The training will be targeted within the newlyformed DRE clinical trailblazer network (pilot sites to test the clinically related service charge characteristics of DRE). The network aims to take direct action to challenge disproportional admission rates, detention and treatment, and poor satisfaction rates associated with minority service users of mental health services.

Central Office of Information: Contracts

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will name each contract that the Central Office of Information has with Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO; and what the value is of each such contract.

Hilary Armstrong: Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO (AMV BBDO) is contracted by the Central Office of Information to work on Government business viaa framework agreement. AMV BBDO has been awarded a project on citizen and public engagement (dealing with climate change issues) on behalf of DEFRA.
	This project is at an early stage, so the final level of advertising activity is still under discussion and therefore so is the final value of the contract.

Departments: Data Protection

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many times her Department was found to have been in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: Breaches of the Data ProtectionAct 1998 can be dealt with by the Information Commissioner, the courts or by Departments at an informal local level. Thus, the information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Legal Costs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent by the Cabinet Office on legal fees in each of the last five years.

Hilary Armstrong: Expenditure on legal fees in the Department from 2002-03 to 2005-06 can be found in the following table.
	
		
			   £000 
			 2002-03 331 
			 2003-04 62 
			 2004-05 85 
			 2005-06 1,740 
		
	
	The increase in costs in 2005-06 is due to expenditure incurred by the transformational Government on legal costs.

Policy Review

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2007,  Official Report, column 797W, on the policy review, whether any other payments have been made to other external organisations as part of the policy review.

Hilary Armstrong: Apart from the payments noted in previous answers given by the Parliamentary Secretary (Mr. McFadden), to the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 26 January 2007,  Official Report, column 2127W, and to the hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) on 8 February 2007,  Official Report, columns 1103-04W, the only significant payments to external organisations in connection with the policy reviews have been to typesetters and printers for the publication of the first five reviews (£97,393).
	All typesetting and print contractors have been selected through competitive tender to ensure value for money.

Driving Under Influence

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many convictions there were in each police authority in England and Wales for the offence of drink driving in each year since 2001; and how many resulted in  (a) a prison sentence,  (b) mandatory disqualification from driving and  (c) the maximum fine.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Available information taken from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, from 2001 to 2004 (latest available) is provided in the following tables.
	Data for 2005 will be available shortly; 2006 data will be available in 2008.
	
		
			  Table A: Total findings of guilt at all courts and resultant custody, maximum fine imposed and disqualifications, for the offence of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs1, by police force area, England and Wales, 2001 
			Of which: 
			  Police force area  Total findings of guilt  Immediate custody( 2)  Maximum fine (£)  Disqualified( 3) 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,197 129 1,000 2,099 
			 Bedfordshire 914 79 600 857 
			 Cambridgeshire 813 51 2,200 742 
			 Cheshire 1,529 96 1,500 1,429 
			 Cleveland 887 77 2,500 824 
			 Cumbria 761 51 750 703 
			 Derbyshire 1,411 140 1,000 1,264 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,369 128 2,500 2,281 
			 Dorset 1,150 91 2,500 1,063 
			 Durham 1,097 86 4,000 1,029 
			 Essex 2,456 264 1,000 2,273 
			 Gloucestershire 865 39 1,050 813 
			 Greater Manchester 4,715 454 2,500 4,329 
			 Hampshire 3,464 235 1,250 3,297 
			 Hertfordshire 1,666 94 2,000 1,600 
			 Humberside 1,259 126 1,000 1,184 
			 Kent 2,575 165 2,500 2,424 
			 Lancashire 2,304 148 1,000 2,174 
			 Leicestershire 1,546 140 2,000 1,437 
			 Lincolnshire 877 60 1,125 836 
			 London, City of 162 10 1,440 156 
			 Merseyside 2,195 217 1,250 2,001 
			 Metropolitan Police 11,260 928 4,500 10,607 
			 Norfolk 1,143 75 3,750 1,065 
			 Northamptonshire 399 65 2,000 375 
			 Northumbria 2,529 217 4,000 2,297 
			 North Yorkshire 1,066 55 3,000 1,015 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,598 187 (4)5,000 1,504 
			 South Yorkshire 2,020 159 1,500 1,905 
			 Staffordshire 1,513 136 1,200 1,431 
			 Suffolk 920 43 1,800 854 
			 Surrey 1,592 65 1,500 1,549 
			 Sussex 2,358 128 1,500 2,250 
			 Thames Valley 3,275 210 2,000 3,137 
			 Warwickshire 880 33 2,000 846 
			 West Mercia 1,740 91 2,000 1,610 
			 West Midlands 4,914 471 2,000 4,475 
			 West Yorkshire 3,220 331 1,500 2,987 
			 Wiltshire 1,045 53 1,500 966 
			 Dyfed-Powys 867 36 1,200 811 
			 Gwent 1,152 76 1,500 1,051 
			 North Wales 1,227 87 1,000 1,153 
			 South Wales 2,812 295 1,200 2,574 
			 (1 )Offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 ss. 4 (1) & (2); 5 (1) and (b); 6 (4) and 7 (6). (2) Immediate Custody = Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and Unsuspended sentence of imprisonment. (3 )Disqualifications given as a secondary disposal. This covers cases where a disqualification from driving was given instead of a licence endorsement. This excludes cases where a defendant was disqualified under the penalty points or "totting up" system (s35 Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988). S.35 R.T.O.A. data for specific offences at force area level are not sufficiently robust. (4) Statutory maximum fine (£5,000) was issued once in Nottinghamshire police force area only. Note 1: Standard Rate maximum fine is Level 5 (£5,000). Note 2: It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Work is underway to ensure that the magistrates courts case management system being implemented by the Ministry of Justice reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated. Note 3: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Total findings of guilt at all courts and resultant custody, maximum fine imposed and disqualifications, for the offence of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs( 1) , by police force area, England and Wales, 2002 
			Of which: 
			  Police force area  Total findings of guilt  Immediate custody( 2)  Maximum fine (£)  Disqualified( 3) 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,401 124 1,000 2,298 
			 Bedfordshire 955 82 750 899 
			 Cambridgeshire 852 41 1,500 782 
			 Cheshire 1,993 103 1,200 1,853 
			 Cleveland 921 71 2,500 831 
			 Cumbria 768 37 1,230 718 
			 Derbyshire 1,465 164 4,000 1,365 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,441 95 2,500 2,347 
			 Dorset 1,199 83 600 1,121 
			 Durham 1,136 68 3,000 1,075 
			 Essex 2,522 267 3,000 2,346 
			 Gloucestershire 926 44 2,300 852 
			 Greater Manchester 4,720 474 3,000 4,387 
			 Hampshire 3,846 243 3,000 3,654 
			 Hertfordshire 1,894 90 1,500 1,810 
			 Humberside 1,395 113 1,000 1,314 
			 Kent 2,745 152 2,000 2,582 
			 Lancashire 2,599 159 2,500 2,465 
			 Leicestershire 1,659 140 2,000 1,556 
			 Lincolnshire 847 56 800 810 
			 London, City of 221 12 1,440 209 
			 Merseyside 2,293 216 3,600 2,105 
			 Metropolitan Police 12,905 927 4,000 12,140 
			 Norfolk 1,220 55 2,000 1,179 
			 Northamptonshire 236 35 1,100 212 
			 Northumbria 2,588 188 2,500 2,373 
			 North Yorkshire 1,119 63 3,000 1,071 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,420 129 2,500 1,324 
			 South Yorkshire 1,945 165 3,000 1,819 
			 Staffordshire 1,704 143 2,000 1,592 
			 Suffolk 1,105 79 3,500 1,022 
			 Surrey 1,614 68 4,000 1,564 
			 Sussex 2,306 149 3,500 2,224 
			 Thames Valley 4,317 219 2,500 4,147 
			 Warwickshire 841 40 1,000 799 
			 West Mercia 1,719 93 2,000 1,623 
			 West Midlands 5,050 438 2,000 4,628 
			 West Yorkshire 3,564 268 2,000 3,276 
			 Wiltshire 1,005 54 1,200 938 
			 Dyfed-Powys 927 47 1,200 856 
			 Gwent 1,074 74 1,000 983 
			 North Wales 1,270 71 2,000 1,165 
			 South Wales 2,761 236 1,500 2,573 
			 (1) Offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 ss. 4 (1) and (2); 5 (1) and (b); 6 (4) and 7 (6). (2) Immediate Custody = Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and Unsuspended sentence of imprisonment. (3 )Disqualifications given as a secondary disposal. This covers cases where a disqualification from driving was given instead of a licence endorsement. This excludes cases where a defendant was disqualified under the penalty points or "totting up" system (s35 Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988). S.35 R.T.O.A. data for specific offences at force area level are not sufficiently robust. Note 1: No police force area registered the statutory maximum fine (£5,000). Note 2: Standard Rate maximum fine is Level 5 (£5,000). Note 4: It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Work is under way to ensure that the magistrates courts case management system being implemented by the Ministry of Justice reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated. Note 3: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table C: Total findings of guilt at all courts and resultant custody, maximum fine imposed and disqualifications, for the offence of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs( 1) , by police force area, England and Wales, 2003 
			Of which: 
			  Police force area  Total findings of guilt  Immediate custody( 2)  Maximum fine (£)  Disqualified( 3) 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,666 167 3,000 2,577 
			 Bedfordshire 1,072 72 1,500 1,013 
			 Cambridgeshire 933 56 1,500 879 
			 Cheshire 1,905 110 1,000 1,784 
			 Cleveland 981 61 1,000 897 
			 Cumbria 843 37 1,000 781 
			 Derbyshire 1,617 168 1,000 1,508 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,667 121 1,300 2,570 
			 Dorset 1,264 73 2,000 1,201 
			 Durham 1,170 77 1,500 1,101 
			 Essex 2,622 311 2,000 2,400 
			 Gloucestershire 890 37 650 834 
			 Greater Manchester 4,743 437 (4)5,000 4,444 
			 Hampshire 3,663 234 2,500 3,513 
			 Hertfordshire 1,904 78 1,200 1,799 
			 Humberside 1,445 150 1,500 1,356 
			 Kent 2,811 179 4,000 1,456 
			 Lancashire 2,652 146 1,050 2,516 
			 Leicestershire 1,725 143 3,000 1,618 
			 Lincolnshire 1,111 42 1,000 1,064 
			 London, City of 230 4 1,500 223 
			 Merseyside 2,687 215 2,500 2,475 
			 Metropolitan Police 12,621 922 (4)5,000 11,910 
			 Norfolk 1,274 59 2,000 1,216 
			 Northamptonshire 799 65 1,500 757 
			 Northumbria 2,747 187 2,000 2,527 
			 North Yorkshire 1,194 51 2,000 1,139 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,644 149 750 1,562 
			 South Yorkshire 2,089 125 1,000 1,950 
			 Staffordshire 1,733 141 1,000 1,633 
			 Suffolk 1,213 66 3,000 1,099 
			 Surrey 1,464 44 2,000 1,403 
			 Sussex 2,430 120 2,500 2,343 
			 Thames Valley 3,884 159 4,000 3,752 
			 Warwickshire 918 33 800 890 
			 West Mercia 1,797 100 2,000 1,686 
			 West Midlands 5,233 420 2,000 4,864 
			 West Yorkshire 3,720 260 1,500 3,449 
			 Wiltshire 1,031 62 1,500 950 
			 Dyfed-Powys 995 46 2,500 920 
			 Gwent 1,149 94 3,000 1,055 
			 North Wales 1,326 76 750 1,253 
			 South Wales 2,840 211 1,500 2,646 
			 (1) Offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 ss. 4 (1) and (2); 5 (1) and (b); 6 (4) and 7 (6). (2) Immediate Custody = Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and Unsuspended sentence of imprisonment. (3) Disqualifications given as a secondary disposal. This covers cases where a disqualification from driving was given instead of a licence endorsement. This excludes cases where a defendant was disqualified under the penalty points or "totting up" system (s35 Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988). S.35 R.T.O.A. data for specific offences at force area level are not sufficiently robust. (4) Statutory maximum fine (£5,000) was issued once in both Greater Manchester and the Metropolitan police force areas. Note 1: Standard Rate maximum fine is Level 5 (£5,000). Note 2: It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Work is under way to ensure that the magistrates courts case management system being implemented by the Ministry of Justice reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated. Note 3: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table D: Total findings of guilt at all courts and resultant custody, maximum fine imposed and disqualifications, for the offence of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs1, by police force area, England and Wales, 2004 
			Of which: 
			  Police force area  Total findings of guilt  Immediate custody( 2)  Maximum fine (£)  Disqualified( 3) 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,692 145 1,200 2,599 
			 Bedfordshire 1,028 65 800 984 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,083 52 1,000 1,042 
			 Cheshire 2,128 106 1,000 1,906 
			 Cleveland 1,071 60 1,000 956 
			 Cumbria 907 50 350 845 
			 Derbyshire 1,874 143 2,000 1,748 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,560 120 2,000 2,440 
			 Dorset 1,239 52 1,200 1,198 
			 Durham 1,277 80 750 1,179 
			 Essex 2,853 349 1,200 2,657 
			 Gloucestershire 913 38 1,500 870 
			 Greater Manchester 4,811 379 2,500 4,469 
			 Hampshire 3,743 199 4,000 3,584 
			 Hertfordshire 1,881 94 2,000 1,776 
			 Humberside 1,623 112 1,500 1,512 
			 Kent 3,010 155 2,500 2,824 
			 Lancashire 2,706 125 2,000 2,570 
			 Leicestershire 1,754 145 1,000 1,602 
			 Lincolnshire 1,209 46 1,500 1,160 
			 London, City of 169 5 1,500 164 
			 Merseyside 2,849 261 4,500 2,529 
			 Metropolitan Police 13,227 832 (4)5,000 12,346 
			 Norfolk 1,240 64 1,200 1,178 
			 Northamptonshire 922 73 2,500 878 
			 Northumbria 2,675 183 2,000 2,491 
			 North Yorkshire 1,131 40 2,500 1,054 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,669 111 2,000 1,568 
			 South Yorkshire 2,224 140 1,500 2,100 
			 Staffordshire 1,733 124 2,500 1,628 
			 Suffolk 1,332 89 3,000 1,191 
			 Surrey 1,425 51 2,000 1,385 
			 Sussex 2,368 104 2,500 2,301 
			 Thames Valley 3,539 190 4,000 3,405 
			 Warwickshire 845 23 1,000 817 
			 West Mercia 1,689 103 2,000 1,593 
			 West Midlands 5,584 423 2,000 5,229 
			 West Yorkshire 3,897 276 3,000 3,623 
			 Wiltshire 1,024 39 1,500 949 
			 Dyfed-Powys 986 47 2,000 919 
			 Gwent 1,188 69 1,500 1,108 
			 North Wales 1,349 75 1,000 1,265 
			 South Wales 2,811 222 2,500 2,666 
			 (1 )Offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 ss. 4 (1) and (2); 5 (1) and (b); 6 (4) and 7 (6). (2 )Immediate Custody = Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and Unsuspended sentence of imprisonment. (3) Disqualifications given as a secondary disposal. This covers cases where a disqualification from driving was given instead of a licence endorsement. This excludes cases where a defendant was disqualified under the penalty points or "totting up" system (s35 Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988). S.35 R.T.O.A. data for specific offences at force area level are not sufficiently robust. (4) Statutory maximum fine (£5,000) was issued once in the Metropolitan police force area only. Note 1: Standard Rate maximum fine is Level 5 (£5,000). Note 2: It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Work is underway to ensure that the magistrates courts case management system being implemented by the Ministry of Justice reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated. Note 3: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Family Conciliation Services

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what plans she has  (a) to promote the use of family mediation prior to the commencement of divorce proceedings and  (b) to fund an expansion of family mediation services; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The Government believe that mediation can offer considerable advantages over going to court in the settling of family disputes, especially where children are involved. To support this, the Family Mediation Helpline (0845 60 26 627) began operating in January 2006. The helpline provides information about family mediation, advice as to the likely suitability of specific cases for mediation and details of and referrals to local mediation services. To date, the helpline has received 2,900 calls, made over 1,100 referrals to mediation services and there have been around 10,000 visitsmade to the supporting website at www.FamilyMediationHelpline.co.uk. In order to ensure the Helpline becomes better known, publicity materials, including a family mediation DVD produced in conjunction with National Family Mediation to provide information about family mediation to members of the public, have been widely distributed to all family courts, Citizens' Advice bureaux and family solicitors.
	There are 10 in-court referral to mediation schemes, where family mediators work together with the courts and often with CAFCASS to refer appropriate cases. We are undertaking judicial awareness seminars across England and Wales aimed at raising awareness among judges and magistrates.
	Finally, the Legal Services Commission's proposals to revise the family fee structure will remove the financial disincentives for solicitors to make referrals to mediation, which has historically been alleged by the mediation profession to be an obstacle to increasing mediation referrals. Under the proposals it would be in the interests of the solicitor to make a referral to mediation and also at an earlier stage.
	Publicly funded family mediation is available to eligible clients who have what is defined as a family dispute. If publicly funded clients are in receipt of private law family legal advice, then they are obliged to consider the use of family mediation before they proceed to a court hearing. The Legal Services Commission is actively seeking to increase the use of mediation and encourage appropriate referrals.
	At this stage, there are no plans to fund an expansion of family mediation services many of which are private businesses and run for profit.

Home Detention Curfews

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many and what percentage of prisoners were released  (a) one month,  (b) two months,  (c) three months,  (d) four months,  (e) five months and  (f) six months or more before their automatic release date as part of the Home Detention Curfew scheme in each year since the scheme's introduction.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the numbers of prisoners by their respective times spent on the scheme from all prison establishments in England and Wales in each year since 1999 in can be found in the following table. The maximum period under which a prisoner may be released early under the Home Detention Curfew scheme is 135 days. Prisoners are not released for longer than that period. Therefore no prisoner has been released on HDC five or six months before the end of their sentence.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			  HDC releases by time on tag under Home Detention Curfew, 1999-2006( 1) 
			   Total( 2)  Less than or equal to 1 month  Greater than 1 month to less than or equal to 2 months  Greater than 2 months to less than or equal to 3 months  Greater than 3 months to less than or equal to 4 months  Greater than 4 months to less than or equal to 4.5 months 
			  Number   
			 1999 14,800 3,800 10,700 — — — 
			 2000 15,500 4,000 11,200 — — — 
			 2001 13,700 3,300 9,900 — — — 
			 2002 20,500 5,600 12,800 900 — — 
			 2003 21,200 5,600 4,200 6,400 1,300 1,900 
			 2004 19,300 5,300 3,900 2,800 1,400 4,300 
			 2005 17,300 4,300 3,300 2,700 1,500 4,000 
			 2006 13,700 3,000 2,500 2,200 1,400 3,300 
			
			  Percentage   
			 1999 — 26 72 — — — 
			 2000 — 26 72 — — — 
			 2001 — 24 72 — — — 
			 2002 — 27 62 4 — — 
			 2003 — 26 20 30 6 9 
			 2004 — 27 20 15 7 22 
			 2005 — 25 19 16 9 23 
			 2006 — 22 18 16 10 24 
			 (1) 2006 figures are provisional and subject to change. These statistics are based on information recorded on the central prison IT system on 4 June 2007. Further updates and amendments may be made to records on this system resulting in revised figures. These figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. (2) The total includes those cases where changes to a prisoner's status, such as a recall or a new sentence, have disrupted the flow of data within the information system. For these cases it is not possible to attribute a definitive time on tag.

Probation: Redundancy

Edward Garnier: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice whether any  (a) assistant chief officers,  (b) business managers and  (c) staff of other grades will be made (i) compulsorily and (ii) voluntarily redundant in (A) the Greater London Probation Area and (B) other probation areas in England and Wales in 2007-08.

Gerry Sutcliffe: London Probation Area is in the process of restructuring and as part of that exercise has considered the appropriate levels of staffing at management levels. As a consequences assistant chief officers, business managers and directors from the area are facing possible redundancy. Currently figures from London indicate that there will be a loss of 13 assistant chief officer posts, two director posts and 10 business manager posts. Expressions of interest for voluntary redundancies are being considered. Where possible, London will seek to avoid compulsory redundancies.
	There are four other Probation Areas, Cheshire, Devon and Cornwall, Dyfed Powys and Thames Valley that have indicated they are considering the possibility of redundancies within the 2007-08 time frame. These redundancies will equate to 27 posts across a range of posts including middle managers and probation service officers. Again, where possible, compulsory redundancies will be avoided.

Asylum: Bromsgrove

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers reside in Bromsgrove constituency.

Liam Byrne: Information on decision outcomes relating to asylum seekers in particular areas of the UK is not available.
	If an asylum application has been finally determined as refused, but the asylum seeker is destitute and there are reasons that temporarily prevent them from leaving the United Kingdom then they can be eligible for support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. As at the March 2007 there were 8,780 applicants, excluding dependants, in receipt of section 4 support in the UK. Further regional breakdowns are not available.
	Statistics regarding the location of asylum seekers in receipt of support are available. As at the end of March 2007 there were no asylum seekers in receipt of support in Bromsgrove constituency.
	The numbers of asylum seekers in receipt of support, broken down by Government Office Region and local authority, and those in receipt of section four support are published on a quarterly and annual basis. The latest publication, covering the first quarter of 2007, is available on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html
	Further breakdowns, of those in receipt of support, by parliamentary constituency, are also available from the Library of the House.

Departments: Consultants

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the outside  (a) agencies and  (b) consultancies which are undertaking work commissioned by his Department; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost is of each commission.

Liam Byrne: To identify current outside consultancies which are commissioned by the Department and live contracts with employment agencies, together with their purpose and cost for each would incur disproportionate cost. Current management systems do not allow effective cross referencing across all parts of the Home Office and its Agencies as this is not a standard business requirement.
	Consultancies provide advice and guidance in a broad range of areas from business change to technical analysis. Typically agency staff are used to fill time bound requirements for additional or specially skilled resources in areas such as project and programme work, seasonal work (such as passport issue) and to provide cover for staff absent on leave and sickness.

Departments: Greater London

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's responsibilities are with respect to London; what responsibilities he holds jointly with the Mayor of London; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office is responsible for leading a national effort to protect the public from terror, crime and antisocial behaviour. We secure our borders and welcome legal migrants and visitors. We safeguard identity and citizenship. We help build the security, justice and respect that enable people to prosper in a free and tolerant society. These responsibilities are primarily national and therefore include London.
	There are no functions under the GLA Act 1999 that the Home Office shares specifically with the Mayor of London. The GLA Act 1999 did, however, in amending the Police Act 1996, empower the Secretary of State (in this case the Home Secretary) to recommend the appointment of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to the Queen (s. 9B of the 1996 Act), recommend the appointment of the Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to the Queen (s. 9D of the 1996 Act) and appoint one member of the Metropolitan Police Authority (para 3 (2) of schedule 2A to the 1996 Act). (The revisions made to the 1996 Act by the Police and Justice Act 2006 also provide for one member of that Authority to be appointed by the Secretary of State). In addition the GLA Act 1999 enables the Home Secretary to set a greater component budget requirement for the Metropolitan Police Authority to restore or maintain an efficient and effective police force (s.95 of the1999 Act).

Illegal Immigrants: Crime

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of people convicted of a crime in Lancashire in each of the last five years were illegal immigrants.

Liam Byrne: Information on the immigration status of offenders is not held centrally on the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, therefore data on the number of illegal immigrants convicted of an offence are not available.

Security Measures

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on each of the 12 points outlined by the Prime Minister as security measures on 5 August 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The progress that has been made on each of the 12 points is set out as follows.
	
		
			  Progress on Prime Minister's 12 point plan 
			  Measure  Progress 
			 1. Introduce new grounds for deportation and exclusion. Since the introduction of the new grounds of Unacceptable Behaviour for deportation and exclusion, 52 individuals have been excluded from the UK and 1 deported. A further 62 exclusion and 5 deportation cases are under consideration. 
			 2. To create an offence of condoning or glorifying terrorism. The Terrorism Act 2006 includes the new offence of encouraging terrorism, including glorifying terrorism, which is now in force. 
			 3. To refuse asylum in this country automatically to anyone who has participated in terrorism. Section 54 in the I AN Act allows us to deny asylum to terrorists while respecting our obligations under the Refugee Treaty. Section 55 in the Act allows the Secretary of State to certify that an appellant is not entitled to the protection of the Refugee Convention. 
			 4. To consult on extending the powers to strip citizenship, applying them to British citizens engaged in extremism and making the procedures more effective. A provision included in the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 lowers the bar for removal of citizenship by replacing one of the existing criteria with a new power to deprive where such action is held by the Home Secretary to be "conducive to the public good". The power came into force on16 June 2006. One person has been deprived under this new power. Several other cases are being actively pursued having been identified as priority cases by Security Service and the Special Cases Oversight Board. 
			 5. To consult on setting a maximum time limit for all future extradition cases involving terrorism. Rashid Ramda extradited. A working group chaired by the Home Office with membership from CPS, HMCS, SOCA and other stakeholders is meeting bi-monthly to monitor developments in cases and remove obstacles to progress. 
			 6. To examine a new court procedure to allow a pre-trial process. We are currently examining ways of allowing more sensitive material in court. The maximum period of pre-charge detention has been extended to 28 days in the Terrorism Act 2006 
			 7. To extend the use of control orders for those who are British nationals and cannot be deported. There are 17 orders currently in force, 8 of which are in respect of British citizens. Control orders continue to be an essential tool to address the threat posed by suspected terrorists who cannot currently be prosecuted or, in respect of foreign nationals, who cannot be removed from the UK. 
			 8. To expand the court capacity to deal with control orders. Work continues to review the capacity of the courts, specialist tribunals and the judiciary to deal with existing and anticipated caseload relating to terrorism. 
			 9. To proscribe Hizb-ut Tahrir and the successor organisation of Al Mujahiroun. The Terrorism Act 2006 widens the criteria for proscription. Two of the successor organisations to Al Mujahiroun were proscribed in July 2006. 
			 10. To review the acquisition of British Citizenship to make sure that it is adequate and to establish with the Muslim community a commission to advise on better integration. We have extended the requirement to be of good character to virtually all applicants for British citizenship. The relevant provision, section 58 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, was commenced on 4 December 2006. We are also looking at extending the checks carried out to establish good character. 
			  The Commission on Integration and Cohesion was launched on 24 August 2006. It will report in mid-June 2007. 
			 11. To consult on a new power to order closure of a place of worship which is used as a centre for fermenting extremism and to consult with Muslim leaders in respect of those clerics who are not British Citizens to draw up a list of those not suitable to preach and who will be excluded from our country in the future. The public consultation on taking powers to close place of worship resulted in a decision not to legislate at this stage. This decision was announced to Parliament on 15 December 2005. 
			  The Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB) was launched on 27 June 2006. We work closely with MINAB to ensure that they meet the challenge of their role as the national body with responsibility for mosques and imams. 
			  MINAB has committed itself to making early progress in five core areas: the accreditation of imams: the development of leadership skills for imams and mosque officials; progress in the inclusion of young people and women; improvement in the governance of mosques; and supporting mosques to contribute to community cohesion and to combating extremism. 
			 12. To bring forward the proposed measures on the security of our borders with a series of countries specifically designated for biometric visas over the next year By end 2007, all visa applicants (100 nationalities) will be required to provide biometric data (10 fingerscan and digital photograph) wherever in the world they apply for a UK visa. The equipment and process changes to enable this will be deployed overseas between autumn 2006 and the end of 2007. We are currently collecting biometric data from all visa applicants in 67 countries and checking the data against records held on the Border and Immigration Agency's Immigration Fingerprint Service database. The intention is that in due course all fingerscans will be checked against the Border and Immigration Agency's Immigration and Asylum Fingerprint Service database held in the UK, and the police national database, prior to reaching a decision on the visa application.